Search - Cliff Jackson :: Carolina Shout

Cliff Jackson, transitional pianist

morty | Greenville NC USA | 11/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's great to have a CD of Cliff Jackson playing solo piano. What particularly interests me about Cliff is his left hand. He's gotten away from the classic Harlem stride style, which is really based on Chopin and Schubert, as far as the use of the piano's resources, and he's incorporating the relentless, almost metronomic approach to the left hand of the boogie-woogie players. There's still a lot of James P. in Cliff's playing, but his approach to rhythm is more modern, less suave and Joplinesque. You might not want to listen to the whole CD at once, because his rhythmic intensity can be a bit wearing, but these tracks are a great player at his peak."